kitchen & bath
Island Hopping
By Bill Millholland
T
he existing plan was fairly
modern, with the kitchen
adjacent to an eating area
and family room. As is typical in
homes of this era, angles were
used to add interest to the space.
The homeowners wanted to update the kitchen and asked for a
more open plan that would enable
them to interact with family or
guests in the eating area or family
room while preparing a meal.
We like to present clients with
more than one design option.
One reason is that our first answer may not be what the client
had in mind. But we also think
that being able to compare solutions is a powerful design tool.
Sometimes clients have to see
a solution that is merely decent
before they can appreciate a solution that is much better. PR
Bill Millholland is an executive
vice president at Case Design/
Remodeling, in the Washington,
D.C., area, where his duties never
stray too far from helping clients
solve design problems. To see
a photo of the completed project, e-mail him at bmillholland@
casedesign.com.
This section is sponsored by Wellborn Cabinets
44
Professional Remodeler
Existing Angles & Odd Spaces
A quick analysis of the existing space reveals a few problems. The kitchen is
completely disconnected from the family room by full-height walls, and several
angled walls create awkward configurations. Also, there is too much unused
floor space in the center of the kitchen.
Troubles aside, the plan also has a few benefits. The eating area is full of
light and offers good views to the backyard. The family room, while not very well
connected, is immediately adjacent to the kitchen and eating area.
ProRemodeler.com
FEBRUARY 2015
kitchen & bath
A two-island solution eliminates wasted space and adds working surfaces while opening
up the kitchen for better interaction with family or guests in adjacent spaces.
Good but Not Great
The wall between the kitchen and family room was bearing and the homeowner was hesitant to change
it, so this first scheme leaves the wall in place and works within the confines of the existing plan. It also
acknowledges that one priority for this project—improving the connection to the family room—was so
important to the clients that they were willing to sacrifice the eating area to achieve this goal.
While this solution checks the boxes for several program requirements, it results in a kitchen that’s too
long and irregular, and that doesn’t have much order—it rambles across the space. So we went back to
the drawing board.
FEBRUARY 2015 ProRemodeler.com
Professional Remodeler
45
kitchen & bath
Two-Island Rescue
This was our second try, and the one that the homeowners
eventually built. It cleans up all of the odd spaces created
by the existing angles and brings some order to the plan.
We entirely removed the walls separating the kitchen from
the family room, and preserved the eating area, which was
one of the highlights of the existing space.
The key to this solution was using two islands, one of
which extends the kitchen beyond its original boundary into
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Professional Remodeler
the family room. This allowed us to introduce a secondary
prep island that fills the formerly unused open area in the
center of the original kitchen. Creating a square corner at the
interior of the dining room added wall space for cabinetry in
the kitchen.
A plan that is open to the family room, maintains the eating
area, provides plenty of storage and countertop space ...
I think we have a winner.
ProRemodeler.com
FEBRUARY 2015